A few runs from yesterday

[center pocket]

I played 14.1 twice yesterday. For about 1.5 hours during lunch and about two hours after dinner. Total I probably had around 8 runs of around 20 something. I couldn't believe that I couldnt get into a third rack, and I felt I was playing good. I decided to keep the last two runs of the evening and post them in a thread for some critiques.

http://vimeo.com/28770623
http://vimeo.com/28770210

I was watching John Schmidt play this morning in an Accu Stats video and he said he would rather bust the balls open and scratch then get stuck to the rack. What he said hit me hard this morning because I felt like I was trying to make break balls at a speed that ensured they would go in; instead of making the break balls at a speed the gets the rack open.

 

[dmgwalsh]

I played 14.1 twice yesterday. For about 1.5 hours during lunch and about two hours after dinner. Total I probably had around 8 runs of around 20 something. I couldn't believe that I couldnt get into a third rack, and I felt I was playing good. I decided to keep the last two runs of the evening and post them in a thread for some critiques.

http://vimeo.com/28770623
http://vimeo.com/28770210

I was watching John Schmidt play this morning in an Accu Stats video and he said he would rather bust the balls open and scratch then get stuck to the rack. What he said hit me hard this morning because I felt like I was trying to make break balls at a speed that ensured they would go in; instead of making the break balls at a speed the gets the rack open.

I did not see these yet, but Thorsten Hohmann said the same thing and so did Niels Feijen. Those two tried the older style hitting it softer but said they would get stuck or maybe not break out enough. They said all their big runs came from hitting hard and being agressive.

 

[sfleinen]

I did not see these yet, but Thorsten Hohmann said the same thing and so did Niels Feijen. Those two tried the older style hitting it softer but said they would get stuck or maybe not break out enough. They said all their big runs came from hitting hard and being agressive.

Jeanette Lee's mentor, Gene Nagy, was another one with a POWERFUL stroke that would smash the rack open, and interestingly, if he were still with us, he would by today's standards be considered "an old schooler." Amongst the old schoolers, he also had (past tense, until Stephan Cohen recently eclipsed him by one ball) the second-highest modern-day high run of 430.

Gene was definitely not a "blipper" (i.e. chipping balls out of the rack a few at a time) like many of the old schoolers were. Instead, KABLAM!! ...and then he goes soaring off on a high run.

It's all a matter of style. I think it's beautiful when a very practiced "blipper" is successful at expertly chipping balls out of the rack a few at a time. However, I also think it's exciting when a smasher gets hold of a break ball and opens that rack up nicely, pocketing balls effortlessly in a pattern to clear the table like tic-tac-toe.

-Sean

 

[center pocket]

Well the issue is that my Diamond's felt is well over two years old so its worn and it is difficult to get all the balls frozen in the rack. Also I really want to get inside the table and clean the ball return. I think it gets the balls dirty alot faster than any other table I have played on.

That being said, I should definitely start whacking the rack a little harder. Some of those steep break shots, I have never in my life shot them hard because in rotation games you dont need to hit a thin cut shot hard to play shape. It causes me to miss, but I am starting to get used to them.

 

[sfleinen]

Well the issue is that my Diamond's felt is well over two years old so its worn and it is difficult to get all the balls frozen in the rack. Also I really want to get inside the table and clean the ball return. I think it gets the balls dirty alot faster than any other table I have played on.

That being said, I should definitely start whacking the rack a little harder. Some of those steep break shots, I have never in my life shot them hard because in rotation games you dont need to hit a thin cut shot hard to play shape. It causes me to miss, but I am starting to get used to them.

And that's exactly all there is to it -- practice. One shot you might want to practice, because it occurs occasionally and you need to be comfortable with it, are cut-the-breakball-in-the-side-pocket break shots, like that which Dennis Walsh accomplished nicely in one of his videos. You can either cut in the side and go directly into the stack (i.e. the break ball is close to the apex of the rack, with the cue ball parallel to it), or try practicing where the break ball is near to the side pocket (again, with the cue ball "parallel" to it) and go one rail into the stack. Practicing these will make you very comfortable hitting thin cut shots with power, accurately.

Hope this helps,
-Sean

 

[Dan White]

But then Mosconi said you never want to have to slam the ball in. He preferred a sharper angle and an easier stroke. I guess this doesn't contradict the idea of getting all the balls open. It's more a comment that if you can do that with a sharper angle and a softer hit, its better than a shallow angle and a hard hit.

I often find that if I over hit the break shot, many of the balls go to the rails and come back to form a cluster again. You just have to know which situations need more speed and which ones don't.

 

[center pocket]

Dan. If I could get some frozen racks I think that would happen more often. I feel that I just have to clobber the break shot to get the balls open good.

I ran a 29 today during lunch. I wanted to throw up after missing the ball I missed.

I will say this, even though I am getting frustrated, I am learning alot. Also I am still trying to figure which concepts from 9ball actually work in straight pool and which ones dont. I have been rereading Phil Cappelle's book on straight pool too.

 

[center pocket]

And that's exactly all there is to it -- practice. One shot you might want to practice, because it occurs occasionally and you need to be comfortable with it, are cut-the-breakball-in-the-side-pocket break shots, like that which Dennis Walsh accomplished nicely in one of his videos. You can either cut in the side and go directly into the stack (i.e. the break ball is close to the apex of the rack, with the cue ball parallel to it), or try practicing where the break ball is near to the side pocket (again, with the cue ball "parallel" to it) and go one rail into the stack. Practicing these will make you very comfortable hitting thin cut shots with power, accurately.

Hope this helps,
-Sean

I shot a few secondary break shots in the side today and they worked out very nicely. I guess I get tunnel vision on the corner pockets. I will have to practice these. Thanks for the advice.